


Greener Grass

by Aquadyne



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Demon Magic Plot Device, Gender or Sex Swap, Horny Teenagers, It's not gay if you're a girl now, M/M, Mementos trip gone WRONG (gone sexual), PWP, Stupid Teenagers (generally), Unsafe Sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-17
Updated: 2019-04-11
Packaged: 2019-10-30 00:04:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17818073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aquadyne/pseuds/Aquadyne
Summary: After being hit by a strange spell, Akechi undergoes an unexpected transformation: he turns into a girl. With the Phantom Thieves still making preparations for his telegraphed betrayal, their plans must be put on hold to deal with that little issue.Meanwhile, Ren is trying to not lose his damn mind.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> PLEASE read the tags before reading. If this kind of thing isn't your cup of tea, just close the tab.
> 
> This is practically my first story and I'm spending it on some kinky shit. Hell yeah.

When Morgana promised a casual “escapade” to Mementos to finish off some requests, this wasn’t what Ren was expecting.

It had all been relatively easy at first. The group of nine thieves journeyed through the labyrinthic railway, defeating wandering foes and collecting loot to sell later. A new room meant another name crossed off of Mishima’s request list. Joker found it exhilarating, as Mementos tended to be.

Monabus broke Mementos’ unnerving silence with the hum of his engine. The calm eeriness of the expanse, along with Joker’s lack of sleep that night, made him nod off on the wheel for just a second too long. A second a Shadow took to ambush them from a dark corner.

The tires screeched violently, and in an instant Joker and his three teammates braced for the Shadow’s attack. The creature before them was humanoid, and looked to be split in two halves, two arms on each side. One of its right arms carried a battle axe, but its smirking form seemed content casting a spell from its left hands instead.

“Argh!”

Crow fell to his knees, clutching at where he’d just been hit by the attack. The Shadow cackled, shaking its left side, threatening with assaulting them again. Joker yelled at the team to hang back: Because of just one careless mistake, Crow was in no condition to retaliate, and neither was the rest of the party, too focused on their teammate’s wellbeing.

“Here,” Joker grabbed Crow by the shoulder and jumped out of the action. His first instinct was to tease the detective about his misstep—that’s what friendly rivals did, right? But his wheezing and visible shaking got him to reconsider. 

“Oracle! Something’s wrong with Crow. Any clue?”

“Hang on, Leader! Someone’s gotta deal with the Shadow, y’know!”

With their escape route secure, Necronomicon took them out of the fight. All the Thieves huddled around Crow with curiosity. They spoke in hushed tones, unsure of what to do. What were you meant to say to someone who you knew would betray you in a few weeks? Joker cleared his throat. They were being way too obvious again.

“You okay? Here, take my arm.”

Crow grunted and looked at Joker for the first time since he got hit. His eyes were foggy, and by the way he was growling he looked like he wanted to say something to him. He gave the whole standing up a shot, but curled up in pain before his knees could even leave the ground.

“I-I think… Hngh, hang on, please…”

“None of the spells we’re trying are helping,” Noir gave Amrita Shower one last go before shaking her head in defeat. “Have you ever seen something like this, Mona…?”

“This is something else for sure… Don’t ask me! I’ve never seen that type of Shadow before,” The cat creature looked at Noir with a scowl. His healing spells had been no help, either; it became obvious the trip had to be cut short. “I think it’s best we leave now… He’s definitely in no condition to continue.” 

The way back on Monabus was relatively peaceful. Joker let Queen drive in favour of sitting in the back row with Crow. None of the Thieves seemed eager to support his weight. Joker wasn’t surprised, but he had hoped they’d hide their disdain better. The one on Crow’s sights was him, in the first place, so why he was the only one trying to be cordial confused him.

Joker put a hand on Crow’s shoulder—he was still breathing, wasn’t he? His squeezed cheek against Mona’s window and furrowed expression made it hard to tell. “Crow. You have to tell us what you’re feeling so we can help you.”

It dawned on him that the other boy hadn’t said a word since they got in the bus. That was bad., really bad. Rare was the day Crow didn’t use any occasion he got to talk to Joker. He hated to admit how endearing he found it —went to show how easy to charm the infamous Joker was in the end. 

“Crow?”

“P-Please, JUST-” 

Crow put his hands over his mouth in a panic. All the Thieves had heard that. In fact, the squawk was so loud everybody bar Queen (who was too busy with the road) had turned to look at him. Crow tested his voice again. 

“Um… This is...” 

“Holy shit,” Oracle added, helpfully. “You sound like a girl, dude.”

“So do I.” Crow took off his mask and pinched his brow with his free hand, looking both deep in thought and extremely in pain. It was then that Joker noticed that his gloves looked unusually loose on the detective. Their Metaverse outfits were designed to fit their bodies like, well, a glove, so that fact, coupled with the present circumstances, led Joker to a sudden and ridiculous conclusion.

He huddled closer to Crow, and started feeling his suit jacket with both hands.

“Woah, woah, woah, Joker! The hell are you doing!?”

“Leader, I don’t think this is the right time…”

“Wait, please,” Joker gestured at his scandalized teammates to quiet down and see what he had to show. “Do you see this? His clothes are becoming big on him.”

None of them understood what Joker was getting at. “What… What do you mean with big on him?”

“Crow’s shrinking.”

 

The rest of the trip back to Leblanc was as uneventful as it could possibly be (not much at all), but Ren appreciated the space the others gave Akechi. The moment they stepped out of Mementos his ailment had become clear: his usual well-fit jacket now had sleeves too long for his newer arms, and he had trouble walking without stepping on his pants’ legs. The outfit looked ridiculous on him, honestly, but the Thieves were able to take him to a less conspicuous place without alerting anyone. 

The bell on Leblanc rang, and Sojiro watched the 8 teenagers (and cat) storm through the store to get to the attic without so much a greeting. The yelling started right after.

“Dude, did you really just turn into a girl!?”

“Ryuji, shut up!” A solid slap resonated through the attic walls. Ann patted his back right after the attack in apology. “We still don’t know what’s truly going on… Maybe he’s just lost some weight? Um, Akechi-kun… Can you take off your jacket so we can take a better look?”

Akechi looked like he would rather just swallow a bee, but he nodded regardless.

It turned out Ryuji was right. Underneath Akechi’s jacket his chest had noticeably grown, their bare shape vaguely showing through the shirt’s material. Obviously that wasn’t the only thing Ren was staring at, as that would be rude. His figure now looked more feminine, with a smaller stomach compared to his new hips. He assumed his behind and legs had gone through a similar transformation, too, but Akechi would have to take off his clothes to check them out. Ren nodded. Further inspection was definitely-

Akechi groaned and covered his chest with his crossed arms, face now flushed.

“Uhhh, guys?” Futaba woke Ryuji, Yusuke and Ren up from their trance by waving her arms in front of them. Her disappointed face helped, too. “I get that it’s shocking and all, but keep it in your pants.”

“Why, you-!” Ryuji hid his embarrassment by starting to bicker with Futaba, their voices drowning out the rest of the Thieves’. Akechi still looked appalled, hardly bothering to hide his disdain anymore. The transformation must have hit him harder than Ren thought. Normally he’d have to look past the plastic smile for those emotions.

“Girls,” Everyone perked up at the sound of their leader speaking, and Futaba and Ryuji even stopped fighting. “I think, before anything else, we need to find him something new to wear. He can’t go outside like that.”

“Welp, I know he’s not fitting in MY clothes.” Despite her childish pout, Futaba was right. It was true Akechi had shrunk to the size of a girl his age, but that still left him at a bigger size than Futaba. Ren found her annoyance at the fact pretty funny, but immediately felt bad about it.

Everyone agreed with Futaba, but no one else was willing to volunteer. Noticing Makoto and Haru’s hesitation, Ann jumped out: “W-Well, I could lend you some clothes, I guess… Ah, but it’s gonna have to wait! It’s getting late, and I’ve got to pick them up from my place.”

“I guess that’s another issue… How are you planning on getting home?” Makoto said. “You might stand out too much if you go out wearing your clothes…”

“Mako-chan is right… Should I call my chauffeur?” Haru proposed.

“No, no…” Akechi finally broke his silence, looking scandalized at Haru’s offer. That was another person Ren could add to the list of people who couldn’t get used to stuff like that, he thought. “Regardless of how I get there, there’s another issue. My apartment building’s security guard won’t let anyone unfamiliar in. I don’t think he’ll be able to recognize me... well, like this.” He gestured down at himself.

Akechi’s new voice was… cute. When not breaking up in the middle of a sentence, he sounded just as soft as he normally did, but the higher pitch gave him a sweeter tone. Ren had to keep reminding himself of who Akechi was, or he would forget his previous appearance. The changes he saw in him made Ren nervous, and not in an unpleasant way. That was alarming.

Ren shook his head in an attempt to clear his mind from dangerous thoughts. He needed to remember his resolve, their plan involving Akechi. This was merely an unforeseen circumstance they’d need to maneuver around. Everything would be fine. They’d find Akechi some clothes, and then-

“Hey, Ren!”

Morgana climbed up his back and clawed at his shoulder, waking him from his trance. “Makoto was asking if you’d be okay with Akechi staying here for the night.”

“W-Wh… Sorry, what?”

The whole group stared at him, and he swore he could hear both Makoto and Akechi sigh at the same time. Talk about birds of a feather. 

“As I was saying… Futaba doesn’t want to have to explain to Sojiro what happened to Akechi just yet, so we were thinking that him staying at Leblanc would be the most convenient.” Makoto explained.

“Um… Sure.”

And that was how Ren ended up with Akechi in the attic, when Sojiro and the others had already left for the night. The prospect still made him kind of uneasy, although Morgana’s weight on his lap reassured him a little. Futaba had also assured him—terrified him, more like— that the whole place was full of bugs, and that she’d immediately know if something bad happened. Which almost led into a discussion about Futaba’s bad sleeping habits, but he couldn’t really deny her offer for help.

“There,” Akechi finally put down his phone, “I texted Sae-san and my school about my absence tomorrow. Nobody should ask any questions for a couple of days.”

“Akechi.”

“Hm?” He glanced up at him from his seat next to the bed and blinked slowly.

Now that Ren had no one else to pay attention to other than Morgana, he noticed how exhausted Akechi looked. He wondered if his body still hurt from the spell, or if any other side effects would manifest later. For now all he wanted to make him do was sleep.

“I’ll get you something to wear in bed,” He stood up from the couch and walked to the boxes he kept all his clothes in, and looked around. “I’ve got a bunch of spare stuff I can lend you.”

“I… Appreciate it. Thank you.” Akechi replied.

When he found something that looked appropriate for Akechi, he walked back to the bed and handed it to him. The white lounging shirt and sweatpants would obviously be too big for him, but they’d do as proper sleeping wear.

“You can uh… I guess you can use the toilet for changing. I’ll get the couch ready in the meantime”

“You’re gonna sleep on the couch…?”

“Yes? I’ll let you have the bed. It looks like you need the comfiest I can afford.”

“If your bed is “comfy”, I don’t want to know what that couch feels like.”

Akechi giggled, teasing him, and that unexpected song echoed in Ren’s heart. Okay, now that wasn’t fair. In the short time they’d spent in silence, he had almost forgotten Akechi’s condition. The realization that he was going to spend the night in the same night as a really cute girl—not a girl! he thought, but he also wondered if that made it better or worse,— and that that same girl was Akechi of all people just dawned on him like a bunch of bricks. His relationship with Akechi was already complicated enough. Adding extra sexual tension because of teenage hormones was just asking for trouble.

He should have never let Akechi get into his head. All the chess matches at Leblanc, all the long conversations about justice, all the meaningful silences, they’d been a great way for Ren to flirt with danger and get some thrill out of his honest student life. He liked to pretend he had everything under control, that he just found playing with fire funny. But because of all the time he had spent with the detective attempting to misdirect him, Ren had ended up fond of him. Probably a terrible mistake.

Unlike other times, Ren strained a smile back. He hoped Akechi wasn’t lucid enough to notice.

The detective went easy on him and didn’t comment on the awkward silence as he took the clothes Ren offered and walked down the stairs to the cafe’s toilet. It wasn’t too bad. The other teen was probably already used to uncomfortable silence when he hung around Ren. Not everybody could be good at small chat. Morgana, who was watching Ren with curiosity, pawed at his side.

“Hey, what’s gotten into you all of a sudden? I thought you had this.”

“Yeah, sorry. I just realized how wrong this situation would look out of context, I guess.” He replied.

Morgana tilted his head, then meowed when he realized what Ren meant. “Oh! As in bringing your girlfriend home? I see what you mean.” 

Ren’s throat made an indescribable noise, and his face grew hot. “Hey, you don’t have to say it like that. I meant more like…”

“A boy and a girl under the same roof?”

“Akechi’s having a hard time right now, Morgana.” Ren cleared his throat.

“Yeah, well… His condition is concerning and all, but… It’s kind of funny to see him struggle, isn’t it? Serves him right, y’know.”

Ren swatted at Morgana softly, hoping disapproval would show in his face. “He still doesn’t know anything about that. You better keep those thoughts to yourself and play nice till this is over, okay?”

“Well… We better celebrate with sushi when we’re done, that’s all I’ll say!”

Ren used the brief time Akechi was downstairs to put on his pajamas, and get a blanket ready for the couch. He wasn’t sure if he’d be able to get any sleep at all with the distinguished guest they had that night. Rationally he knew that Futaba was watching over them, and that Morgana was a light sleeper, but he still couldn’t help but feel restless. There was also the other issue, which was that Ren was pretty sure his nervousness didn’t originate from fear, but from something different. His feelings for Akechi—from a purely platonic, rival-like relationship— were mixing with something else, something intoxicating that made his heart thump faster and get him to fidget on the spot. Even Morgana had begun to notice this change in behavior, and Ren couldn’t have that. He needed to get his act together for the sake of the team.

Ren wondered if the spell that had hit Akechi could possibly have had an effect on other people around him as well. That would explain why he felt so out of his element in his own room, after he’d tried so hard to make it his. He walked to the bed and sniffed around, to ascertain if something smelled different. Akechi could be exuding poison gas and he’d be none the wiser.

Morgana watched him in silence, confused, and unsure of what to say. “Um, Ren…”

“Yeah?”

“Don’t you think Akechi’s been downstairs for a while now?”

“Oh…!” How careless of him! Ren gulped and stopped what he was doing, feeling kind of stupid. Something could have happened to Akechi, and there he was, fooling around. He called out to him from upstairs.

“Akechi?”

The dead silence and darkness from beyond the stairway were what convinced Ren to head down. He knocked on the toilet’s door once, then twice, before raising his voice again.

“Hey, are you okay? You’ve been in there a while now.”

There’d been no reply at first. Ren was about to try the doorknob when the door opened. Akechi’s head peeked from the inside. The bags under his eyes seemed to have grown darker since the last minute he saw him. “Sorry… I didn’t hear you.”

“Everything okay in there?”

Akechi paused, and looked away. “As okay as it can be, I suppose...”

Without elaborating further, he stepped out of the room. Ren had to admit he looked very cute —the oversized T-shirt almost sliding from his shoulder, the sweatpants which pooled over his ankles, clearly too long, and Akechi’s curious staring at his face made his heart skip a beat. Crap. The teenager felt like he was falling down a really slippery slope, and he couldn’t tell where it led.

Akechi had enough of the awkward silence, and just sighed and walked past Ren to go up to the attic. Ren almost tripped over his own feet when he followed him up. Morgana could immediately tell how tense the atmosphere had become all of a sudden.

“Um…” Ren began, pitifully. “I’m sorry for staring back then. I’m just-”

“It’s okay,” Akechi replied, but by the way he was furrowing his brow Ren could tell it wasn’t. “We’ve all had a long day today. Let’s just forget about it.”

He really must have been tired. That snappy attitude was something Ren would’ve never expected from “regular” Akechi. Okay, he would, but always dressed up with the nicest yet most passive aggressive words he could muster.

What could he possibly say to make him feel a little better? Ren guessed that he should be choosing his words carefully around him.

“Well, okay, but…” Ren cleared his throat. “There’s no need to pretend you’re fine all the time, you know? It’s okay to let your guard down every once in a while...” He blabbered.

Akechi stared at him, mouth slightly agape. His shiny, inviting lips almost distracted Ren from the fact that he had been thinking out loud. He stammered and was about to bow in apology again, when Akechi shook his head and laughed.

“I could literally say the same thing about you.”

After that exchange—Morgana had decided that enough was enough— the three of them headed to bed. Morgana curled on top of Ren as soon as he lied down after turning off the lights. He’d probably need the extra heat tonight, sleeping on the couch. Akechi hadn’t said a word except for a brief “Goodnight”, and now that Ren was in bed, the attic fell completely into complete stillness.

Ren wasn’t able to stop turning and twisting, much to Morgana’s dismay, until he heard the soft sound of regular breathing coming from the other side of the room. Akechi was soundly asleep, and his worry about being killed in his sleep eased somewhat. In retrospective, his fears seemed kind of senseless. What would Akechi even do after stabbing him in his own room? He couldn’t even access his apartment, and whoever was behind his actions would probably not recognize him as he was, either. The detective was, in a way, completely at the Thieves’ mercy now, and they hadn’t even intended for it to happen. Ren smiled in the dark.

He supposed that was okay. The karmic retribution felt nice, for a change. Ren wasn’t sure of the extent of Akechi’s crimes, but being turned into a girl must have been traumatizing enough to make up for them. Maybe. Ren wasn’t really sure what he’d do if he had been the one victim of the spell instead.

Touch his boobs a lot, most likely.

He felt his face grow hot at the direction his thoughts were taking. Practically anything would set him off lately. With the added stress of devising a plan to deal with Akechi, he hadn’t had time for himself at all. And now that the detective needed to stick to Leblanc, albeit temporarily, he definitely couldn’t afford some privacy, either. His body reacted to those news the opposite way Ren wanted, as if to lament what he could not have. 

Living with Morgana at his side was tough enough...

He must have fallen asleep right then, because he didn’t remember or notice anything until the cat’s claws poked him awake. Ren gasped in surprise, raising his upper body by reflex, and almost launching Morgana by doing so. Morgana whined at the motion, but held his painful grip on Ren’s shirt. The room was still engulfed in darkness, and the cat wasn’t expecting that force. “Hey, Ren…” He spoke in hushed tones, afraid to make any more noise. “Akechi’s been groaning for a while…”

“Huh? W-What?”

Morgana put a paw over Ren’s mouth, urging him to tune in. He was right: he could hear Akechi’s faint noises from the opposite side of the room. Was he crying? It sure sounded that way when he listened closely. The sound of his covers shuffling and muffled sobs burned themselves into Ren’s mind. His high pitched whines sounded like a distress call.

When he realized Akechi wasn’t stopping, Ren grabbed his phone and got up from the couch. He walked up to the bed and pointed his flashlight at the lump completely obscured by the covers. “... Akechi?”

With a gasp, the noises stopped for a second, then the shuffling resumed. It almost looked like Akechi was struggling to breathe under there. Ren jumped to action and pulled the cover away with a swift motion. 

It took all of Arsene’s strength of will to not drop his phone when Ren saw what laid underneath.

Akechi was an absolute mess. His face was flushed and scrunched up in exertion, sweat covering his forehead. He was completely curled up around himself, panting hard. But what Ren couldn’t take his eyes off of were his hands. What he guessed were his hands, anyway; the bump sliding in regular motions under Akechi’s pajama pants couldn’t possibly be anything else.

Akechi narrowed his eyes when the light shone on him, slightly dazed, but his hands didn’t stop. “Ren…?” He whimpered. “Ren… I-I need…”

“Uh,” Ren grunted. He was pretty sure his mind had just short-circuited from what he was seeing and hearing. The sudden use of his first name sent a jolt straight to his groin. His brain was taking longer than his body to process everything, which is what prompted him to fall on his knees in front of the bed, his face close to Akechi’s. “Um. You okay? I mean-”

“Ren…” Through the lusty haze in his eyes, Ren could see how conflicted Akechi was. His irregular breaths were hitting his face now, and they weren’t helping with resisting temptation. “I think that spell… must have had some side effects…”

The sight of Akechi’s absolute dishevelment, his little sighs as he kept thrusting his hands, his smell, they were all too much for Ren. 

He had to make a decision. He had to clutch onto his resolve.

“Ren, please… I-I need…”

“... Very well.”

Oh, forget about that bullshit for a second. Ren had made up his mind. He got back on his feet, and in a blink, picked Morgana up from the floor, who had tried approaching to see what the fuss was all about.

“Mona,” Ren began. “You go stay at Futaba’s for tonight. I’ve got everything under control over here.”

“What? But-!”

“No buts,” He insisted. He carried Morgana to the windowsill and opened the glass pane for him. “You go and tell Futaba everything’s okay.”

“What’s gotten into you all of a sudden!?” Morgana protested, but Ren was already pushing his butt out of the window. “Fine, fine, jeeze! But if you die tonight, that’s on you!”

With the window finally closed, Ren could go back to what had his lower region so distracted. He resisted just pouncing on Akechi, who was still looking at him with longing eyes. He chose to gently sit down on the edge of the bed instead. It’d be lovely to not seem too eager, if possible.

The arms that wrapped around his waist were making it awfully hard.

“A-Akechi, um… Are you sure you want to be doing this?” Ren used the last shred of self-control he possessed to ask that question.

Instead of answering, the detective climbed up Ren’s back with his upper body. Akechi was hugging him from behind now. His chest rested on him. 

That bastard Akechi definitely knew what he was doing. This was going to be the end of Ren. He knew it.

And yet he still responded to the other’s touches.

Ren couldn’t remember the moment he had turned around to face Akechi. He couldn’t remember the moment he had lied down beside him, looking deep into his eyes. And he couldn’t remember the moment where all the pent-up anticipation had broken the peace, eager hands desperate to touch and explore; but it had to have been a really short time before, because Ren’s tongue was still trying to worm itself into Akechi’s mouth when he began to process what was happening. 

Akechi desperately held onto Ren, his grasp so tight it could have made him wince, but the fireworks going off in his heart were drowning out every other irrelevant thought or feeling. He continued kissing Akechi, his hands wandering all over his body, but unsure of what new part of him he wanted to explore first. Slipping his hands under his shirt, he settled for his chest—oh god, his freaking tits— caressing it with his palms. Akechi was so desperate for any kind of friction that he whimpered at the contact, leaning closer to the touch. The encouraging noises gave Ren enough confidence to try flicking his nipples, and in an instant the detective was arching his back, a cry loud enough to be heard downstairs. 

“T-That’s…! Ren…!” He moaned, and feverishly searched for his lips in the dark.

They kept making out for a while—Ren would have never thought he could get so addicted to it, but minutes passed without realizing— and Akechi’s whimpers didn’t wager. All the build-up had gotten to him too, so when Akechi sat on top of him and ground his hips against his erection, he could do nothing but grind back. The friction, even through the fabric, was absolute bliss, but Ren needed more. As if reading his mind, Akechi hooked a finger on his pants’ waistband and tugged a little, glancing up for consent. Ren had never taken his pants off so fast.

The cool air of the attic in contact with his sensitive skin made him shiver, but Akechi wasn’t willing to leave him cold for longer. He didn’t waste time in wrapping a hand around his length and giving him a few experimental pumps. God, he could just cum from the way Akechi was looking up at him. Ren tried to thrust into his hand, but he let go of him right after. Before he could ask, the detective was pulling his own pants down and kicking them aside—The spell must have diminished his sense of modesty as well.

“O-Oh.” Akechi practically hurled himself at him when he was done, hungry to find his lips again, but Ren couldn’t get the sight of him out of his head. “I guess you’ve really changed, huh...” He mumbled against the other’s lips. 

Akechi huffed in exasperation and buried his face in the crook of Ren’s neck, as if to hide his expression. “Please, shut up and let me do this…” 

With another muffled whimper, Akechi pressed his hips against Ren’s hardness. His cock jumped at the warm, wet touch of the other’s groin, so flushed and enticing; there were no barriers separating them now. He put his hands over Akechi’s hips instinctively, and restrained himself from rocking alongside Akechi. Ren’s brain was fighting a losing battle against his body, urging him to give in and meet Akechi inside. He was aching so badly, and Akechi’s desperate whimpers against his neck only tempted him further. “Ren… Ren…”

Ren had definitely reached his breaking point.

With his head full of nothing but him, Ren adjusted his grip on Akechi’s hips and gently brought him down until his tip pushed inside. Both of them let out groans of pleasure— Ren wanted, needed to get lost in the feeling of Akechi, but before he could continue to push inside, Akechi ground his hips downward, abruptly thrusting all the way to Ren’s base. He let out a loud whine at the sudden sensation of being filled all the way, but he didn’t attempt to pull back. Instead, Akechi tried to move his hips again, in a wanton search for friction. Ren still hadn’t recovered from the overwhelmingly tight, slick heat surrounding him in full, trying to think of something really unsexy to avoid finishing right then. The feeling was incredible, and he knew for a fact that he wouldn’t be able to last for long.

Akechi kept on grinding, his pace uneven, and his bottom flush against Ren’s hips. Beads of sweat flew down from his forehead onto the messy sheets from effort. He was completely helpless against the detective’s quick movements, so he lied down on the bed to allow him to ride him properly. Placing his hands over his hips again, he helped Akechi set a pace as he bounced on his cock. The sound of skin slapping together and little ahs filled the room, and Ren felt coil tightening around his abdomen.

“A-Akechi, —hn— I won’t last for much longer…”

Akechi’s eyes were shut closed, body still too busy on keeping up with the rhythm they had set. Ren sped his thrusts up to match Akechi— his laboured breathing told Ren that he was also close. The tightness and the warmth of Akechi’s folds were becoming too much to bear.

“R-Ren, —ah— Ren, Ren…” Akechi chanted his name as he moved, pace unforgiving.

“Fuck…! A-Akechi…”

Hearing his name come out as those lustful moans is what sent Ren over the edge and made the tension in his abdomen snap. He tightened his grip on Akechi’s hips and thrusted hard one last time. Akechi’s walls milked him dry wave after wave of pleasure. The release that washed over him must have been the best he ever had, because he could hardly feel the pain from Akechi using his oversensitive cock until he reached orgasm as well. 

With one last moan of fulfillment and exhaustion, Akechi fell on the bed next to Ren. He slid out with ease, his seed dropping all over the sheets, but Ren couldn’t care less at that moment. The look of happiness in Akechi’s eyes as they both tried to catch their breaths was enough to make him forget all about consequences.  
“So,” Ren panted once more, smirking at Akechi. “How was that?”

Akechi didn’t reply, opting for humming and going for a hug instead. He buried himself in Ren’s chest, and the other teenager couldn’t be happier to embrace him back. Their bodies were pressed together again, but a wave of exhaustion finally hit Ren after everything they’d done. He wanted nothing but to cuddle and to fall asleep with him in his arms. Nuzzling Akechi’s head, he breathed in the sweet fragrance of his shampoo as his eyes fluttered closed. Vanilla, huh. 

He hoped his dreams would be just as sweet when he drifted off to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ann and Goro go shopping for clothes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First things first, sorry about how long this took. I'm writing at my own pace, and last month I wasn't feeling too inspired. Hopefully things speed up for next chapter.
> 
> This is kind of a slow paced chapter. I hope you enjoy it, nonetheless!

When Ren woke up the next morning, sleep still clouding his mind, he noticed three things while trying to shake off his reverie.

One: he couldn’t feel Morgana’s comforting weight on top of him, keeping him warm.

Two: his bottom was bare, his pajama pants discarded somewhere in the room, and the thin blanket that covered him wasn’t able to keep the chill away. He mindlessly wondered where those could’ve wandered off to.

Three: Akechi.

Ren almost fell off the bed when he jumped up in surprise at the missing presence in his room. Where in the world had Akechi gone!? He rubbed his eyes with both hands as he looked around the attic: the morning sun gently drifted through the dusty glass panes and wished him a good morning, but there was no sign that the teen had shared a room with anyone, forgotten blanket on the couch aside.

What was he meant to do? He rested his head on his hands, now that he sat up. The memories from the previous evening were suddenly flooding back. With a clearer mind, Ren arrived to the conclusion that they probably shouldn’t have done that last night. But how could he have possibly refused? Everything felt so damn _good_ , and simply looking into Akechi’s glassy eyes was intoxicating. He’d have just loved to keep kissing him forever. Perhaps that was the reason Akechi had run away: did he regret what happened? Did he actually not enjoy himself? Or maybe he was upset that he’d lost his virginity under such unusual circumstances. Ren definitely wouldn’t blame him for that one; he was still trying to process that himself.

A familiar hum downstairs interrupted his erratic thoughts. Ren hadn’t noticed before, but he could hear the TV’s white noise from up there. Sunday morning news must have been on at that time. Ren sprinted down, the signs of life sending relief through his veins. “Akechi? Is that you?”

“Jeeze, kid,” Sojiro, who was behind the counter, looked at Ren and then turned his eyes away in disgust. “For God’s sake, put some pants on before breakfast.”

“Wha…?” Ren blinked in confusion for a second, but immediately realized his mistake. He covered himself with his hands and turned around. “R-Right. Boss, are you the only one here this morning?”

“What’s that? Of course I am. Futaba was sleeping when I left.”

Sojiro went back to chopping up ingredients for the curry of the day, so Ren hurried upstairs to get himself decent. When he came back down his stomach was growling, the smell of the spices and coffee stirring his appetite. 

“What was that about the kid? Akechi?” Sojiro served him a plate of curry and his morning cup of coffee. Ren dug in, trying to stall for time. With everything going on, he had forgotten about Boss. What was he supposed to tell him? It was hard to keep the Metaverse a secret from him if one of his regulars showed up as a girl out of the blue. Especially if he knew Wakaba Isshiki, and he had to suspect the Phantom Thieves’ MO as well...

The soft chime of the bell at the door interrupted Ren’s train of thought.

He dropped his spoon on the plate when he saw Akechi enter Leblanc nonchalantly. The boy must have been in the bath house all that time, if the towel wrapped around his head was any indication. He was wearing a different T-shirt from yesterday night, but Ren still recognized it as one of his, which made him briefly wonder if Akechi had been snooping around his things while he was sleeping.

The first thing Akechi did when he entered was give Ren a big smile. When he noticed his nervous stare, though, he took notice of the other man behind the counter. Ren had never seen someone go pale so quick.

“Welcome…? May I help you?” Sojiro stopped cutting ingredients and stared at Akechi, confusion visible in his expression.

“Ah, um…”

Ren got up from his seat, gesturing at Akechi in an incomprehensible language, and Boss turned towards him instead. “Kid, do you know this girl?”

“Oh, uh. Yeah,” Ren stammered, helpfully, “Well, she, uh…”

“Sorry, where are my manners?” Akechi took a step forward and bowed profusely. Apparently Mr. Detective had a plan. “Ren has told me so much about you. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Sakura-san.”

Sojiro looked as taken aback as Ren felt. “Ah… That so?” He scratched his head, throwing glances at him. “How do you know the kid?”

“Well…” Akechi hummed, looked down and put his hands behind his back. “He’s… He’s my boyfriend.”

_ Shit _ .

Sojiro was now looking him, mouth agape in surprise.  _ Shit _ . It didn’t take long for a smirk to form on his face and for him to let out a knowing chuckle, his hands busy with cooking again. “Oh! That’s funny,” he laughed, “He’s never mentioned anything about a girlfriend before. Shy guy, huh?”   


Akechi giggled along with him. “Yeah...”

_ Shit! _ Akechi was the devil, Ren was sure of it. The way he turned that conversation around put him completely on the spot, and his burning ears made it impossible for him to deny it. Apparently, the detective’s natural charm still worked as a weapon, whether he was in an even playing field or not.

The two of them chatted idly about Ren for some time, while he grumbled and finished his curry.

“Come have some breakfast with the kid. I want to know the story behind you two.”

“Thank you for the offer, Sakura-san, but I’m trying to watch my diet.” Akechi said, matter-of-factly. “Takamaki-san is supposed to be coming over later, so I’ll have something when we go out.”

“Oh, you’re friends with her too?”

That was the first Ren heard about Akechi caring about his weight. He shot Sojiro one last smile, then walked back upstairs, presumably to get dressed. When Akechi was out of sight, Boss turned his attention back to Ren. He stared at him in silence for a second, and Ren swallowed. God knows what could’ve been going through his mind. There was a lot to unpack all of a sudden.

“Hey… I don’t mind letting you have people over, but you could’ve warned me first.”

“I know... I’m sorry.” Ren sighed. “It was a spur of the moment kind of thing.”

Sojiro raised his eyebrows. “Spur of the moment, huh? Well, remember to be careful. When I was your age… Hoo boy.” His smirk told him everything his words left unsaid.

Ren tried to excuse himself, his flushed face enough humiliation for a day, but before he could move upstairs Sojiro put a hand on his shoulder.

“Good luck with her. She seems like a good girl.”

If only he knew. 

“Thanks, Boss.” Ren smiled.

“Before you go, though,” Sojiro hesitated, looking away. “I didn’t catch her name, after all that...”   
  


“You told him my name is Kokoro?” Akechi glared incredulously at him, his hands working on drying his hair with the towel.

“You don’t like it?” Ren frowned, “It’s the first thing I could come up with.”

“I don’t dislike it, but,” he combed his fingers through his hair, clearly displeased with the lack of a hairbrush in the attic. “Goro Akechi… Kokoro Akechi… You realize how obvious it sounds, don’t you?”

“Yeah, well,” Ren quipped. “Maybe if someone hadn’t barged in and claimed to be  _ my girlfriend _ , we wouldn’t be having this discussion.”

That made the other boy look away, a sheepish expression on his face. The silence that followed brought back all the memories from the night before, and Ren wasn’t sure if he’d be able to avoid the elephant in the room much longer. Thankfully, Akechi broke his pause next. “My apologies. I lost track of time, and I didn’t expect Boss to… be here so early. I, too, had to improvise.”

“Ah.” Ren shook his head, and walked closer to Akechi to pat his back. The docile attitude wasn’t too usual of him, so he felt guilty about teasing. “Well, don’t worry about it. I guess that’s a way to avoid him asking too many questions.”

“I guess.” Akechi chuckled.

The attic fell into silence again, but it didn’t feel nearly as oppressive this time. Ren took the chance to pick his phone up and plug the charger in—he faintly remembered he left it forgotten on the floor, the flashlight still on, his mind completely busy with taking in everything Akechi had to show. While Akechi finished fixing his hair, Ren checked his messages: nothing too transcendent aside from questions about what to do from that point on. Ann had also sent him a private message letting him know she was on her way to Leblanc.

Right before he could open his mouth to let the other teen know, Akechi got ahead of him. “Sorry, by the way. I had to borrow one of your towels for the bath house. And some new clothes too.”

“That’s okay.” It wasn’t. The thought of Akechi looking through his stuff made him understandably uneasy. The shirt he was wearing today was one of Ren’s favourites, plain white but decorated with large black stars. It was so long on him that it covered up to half his thighs. He had to avert his eyes before Akechi caught him staring.

"I just took the first thing I could find, so—are you listening?"

“Of course. Just thinking.”

“Thinking about what?” 

“Thinking about stuff. Ann.” There he had it. “Because, check this out,” Ren turned his phone’s screen towards him, making Akechi squint at the small text. “She’s coming over. So you better get ready.”

“Well, I’m almost finished.”  Akechi reached towards his briefcase, which was now resting on the bed, and got out a makeup mirror. “I simply need the finishing touches.”

Ren couldn’t believe how out of his control the situation had gotten. Did he always carry that around? Was it normal for a teenage boy to use makeup daily? He guessed that would explain his flawless, soft-looking skin. “Right, right.”

“In any case, shouldn’t you be the one getting ready?” Akechi glanced at him as he applied foundation. “Takamaki-san’s coming, and you’re still in your sleepwear, after all.”

That was the cue Ren needed to jump into action. He left Akechi to his own devices and went back downstairs to get changed. He hoped that that time by himself would let him cool down enough to bring up what happened that previous night. Because he knew it had to be brought up— one more minute of having to pretend everything was normal and he’d go crazy himself. When something like that happened, the only thing to do was to talk things out like adults. Communication, Ren nodded, was the key to any relationship. And theirs had definitely taken a baffling turn after that night.

The minutes of getting psyched up in front of the mirror proved to be pointless, as Akechi gestured at him to sit down as soon as he climbed back up to the attic.

“Listen… About last night, I feel like we need to—”

“Talk!” Ren exclaimed. Akechi threw him a look. “R-Right. I was just thinking about it too.”

“What happened last night…” Akechi began and looked down at his hands. “I obviously never meant for you to find me in that state. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. I, uh, I never thought I’d ever— I mean, I know you’re not normally like that. Doing that in another person’s bed—”

“Yes, yes I know.” Akechi interrupted Ren before he could continue, red now adorning his cheeks. It was unbearably cute. “Whatever came over me was… intense, to say the least. I just… Everything felt so warm, and my body felt like it was on fire, so I couldn’t really…” 

As Akechi stammered, the fire completely covered his face. It must have been almost impossible for the detective to muster the courage to admit something so embarrassing. Ren felt compelled to pat him on the head to reassure him, but promptly realized that was not the best way of helping, given the reason behind his flushed face.

“Hey, don’t worry. I owe you an apology too. I shouldn’t have… You know.”

“Approached?”

Ren couldn’t help but laugh at that. “Come on. You sounded like you were choking. A real gentleman thief couldn’t possibly ignore someone in distress.”

“And here I thought you left that mask behind you in the Metaverse, Joker.”

The two laughed together again. 

It was always so easy to go back to their usual game, flirting with danger and dancing around the issue —their relationship—, but this time the back and forth held more meaning than others. Akechi always gave so little, and he always took too much. Ren would not —could not— forget where both of them stood, their goals clashing against each other; but he couldn’t help the desire to bridge the gap, the abyss that separated them and prevented him to reach out, either. 

“Anyway, just…” Ren hesitated. “I won’t let that happen again, I promise. I practically took advantage of you...” 

It was Akechi’s turn to frown at him, seemingly confused. “I did practically throw myself at you, didn’t I…?”

“Well, yes, but—”

“Then, please don’t worry about it.” Akechi looked away as he continued, fiddling with his shirt. “Even though it was under… special circumstances, I didn’t really… dislike… what happened. So, you shouldn’t feel guilty...”

Ren strained his ears to hear what Akechi was mumbling. His face grew just as red as Akechi’s looked, and his brain stopped all functions, making it hard to even keep looking at him without dropping dead from embarrassment. _Communication, Ren_ , was the only chant that came to mind, a faint whisper his brain’s dying message. He was certain confessing something like that must have been hell for someone as guarded as the detective. Ren needed to make sure Akechi knew that he was fine with it.   


“Okay,” Ren began, promisingly. “Guess that means a second round’s not out of the picture, huh?”

_ Wait— _

A deep, uncomfortable silence befell the room. Ren covered his face with his hands, offering no further apology. As Arsene scolded him for his categorical mistake, he wished for nothing else but for the right Persona to bury him and let Earth swallow him. He simply couldn’t help himself, could he? His eagerness —his libido, more like— had gotten the best of him again. 

In the midst of wallowing in his own despair, Ren almost missed the subtle nod Akechi gave him in response. The detective stood up immediately to disguise the motion, but Ren had noticed everything. His strength slowly came back to him, the fiery passion of success flooding his veins and making him eager to do something impulsive again. 

He got up after Akechi and put his arms around him from behind, embracing him. His hair smelled sweet and fruity. “Thank you. This is pretty awkward, actually.”

“... I can agree with that.” Akechi jumped at the surprise hug, but didn’t pull away from Ren’s grasp. After a second, his shoulders relaxed, a sigh coming from his lips. “You always find ways to throw me off balance like no other, you know.”

With the courage of someone who just got away with doing something really idiotic, Ren chuckled. “Funny you mention that. If you’re already surprised, just wait until you hear what I wanted to do next.”

“... What is that?”

“Uh…”

“Ren?”   
“... Is it okay if I call you Goro?”

Ren felt Akechi stiffen under him. Yet another smooth move by the gentleman in training. His bravado left him as fast as it had reached him, and he wasn’t so certain about his proposal anymore. The silence from the other boy was definitely not a good sign, but it was hard to gauge without being able to look at his face.

“It’s just… You already call me by my name. And if we’re going to pretend we’re dating, it’d just be better to… you know?”

He thought Akechi would never break the tense silence that had built up in the attic, but after some unbearable moments, the boy exhaled the breath he’d been holding.

“... It’s only fair, I suppose.”

It was better than he could have ever imagined.

“Thank you, Goro.” Ren had to admit he was still shaking from the thrill of being so stupid, but he was thankful for his decisions now that they’d got him to this point. He chuckled in relief and tightened his embrace. Apparently, Goro had enough of the prolonged hug, so he wriggled out of his grasp. 

Ren had never been so happy to see Goro’s face before. Despite his huff at getting wrinkles on his clothes, the glint in his eye showed he was just as delighted as him. The small smile he was failing to hide was proof enough of that.

Before Ren could show any more of his smooth moves, a bang on the entrance door downstairs interrupted the mushy mood in the attic. Ann ran up the stairs, almost out of breath, with a big plastic bag full of clothes on her arms.  The girl seemed to have been rushing from the station until she reached the cafe. 

“Sorry, I’m here! I kinda almost fell asleep, and well…”

“It’s okay, Takamaki-san.” Akechi replied. “I see you brought something for me…?”

“Yeah! Come here.” Ann ran to the bed and grabbed Akechi—Goro, Ren corrected himself— by the wrists, forcing him up. “I tried looking for stuff that I thought would suit you, but, y’know, I’ve never seen you wear anything other than dress shirts and sweaters! So I’m taking this opportunity to find you something cute.”

Goro looked as taken aback as Ren felt at the moment. Ann kept chattering on, showing the other boy the outfits she’d brought, and telling him her opinion about how they matched. Ren would have never expected for Ann to act this natural towards the detective, her acting skills being her major weak point. It was almost as if she was a completely different person when she talked about something she was passionate about.

Ren noticed the two heading downstairs, and asked about it. “We’re gonna get him— her changed! Wait there for a sec. We need you to be our judge.”

With the sound of the toilet door closing downstairs, he found himself on his own. Soon enough, they both came back up with Goro wearing a brand new getup. Ren was to give his opinion on each outfit Ann chose, but apparently his judgement wasn’t sound enough for her standards— staring speechless at every single one of the options wasn’t “adequate” enough, she said— so they ended up asking Sojiro for his thoughts instead. Ren sulked about it, obviously, but Goro’s playful giggles made him forget the transgression.

After their conversation together, Goro could have probably stepped on and laughed at Ren and the other would have just said thank you.

The team settled on a soft, cream, bare-shoulders sweater to go with some short denim shorts and black tights. The combination of Goro and Ann’s fashion senses in one granted them a thumbs up from Sojiro, and more silent gawking from Ren.    
  


Goro was the first to break the silence when they closed the door to Leblanc behind them and headed towards the subway station. “This is definitely more comfortable than I expected.” 

“What is? Tights?”   


“No, the bra.” He laughed. “I thought I’d have to deal with that weight for the rest of my life.”

Ren and Ann looked at each other, and giggled nervously along Goro. 

“Yeah, haha,” Ann started. “I don’t think my size is the right fit for you, so we’ll probably have to ask for help over there.”

“Is that so? I guess it does feel kind of  _ tight _ around my back.”

“Hmhm!” Ann nodded. “Your band size is larger than mine.”

And so Ren immediately got phased out of that conversation, measures and sizes completely beyond his understanding as a Man. Ann and Goro continued their animated chatter as they entered the Yongen-Jaya subway station. Despite the early Sunday morning, commuters and tourists filled the station’s platform. They weren’t expecting so many people to board the Ginza line. When he stopped in his tracks behind a crowd of people, Goro almost crashed headfirst into Ren, distracted by his conversation with Ann. He bowed his head in apology and smiled at him.

“Man, but it really is crowded today… Guess that’s the weekend for you.” Ann pointed out, twirling one of her twintails with her finger.

The train to Shibuya wouldn’t get there for another four minutes, so the three of them had to wait. By the time he realized, someone had gotten between Ren and the girls. Goro looked at him through the crowd, his helpless eyes showing frustration at not being the tallest among the multitude for once. 

When he reached out his hand in an attempt to not lose track of him, Ren couldn’t resist grabbing onto it and giving it a soft squeeze.

Goro looked down at their hands, but he didn’t shake Ren off. He squeezed back instead, rubbing his thumb over the other’s palm. The feeling sent shivers down Ren’s spine. Were his hands always this soft? Of course Ren could never know for sure, since Goro always used to wear those leather gloves. Watching his hands used to distract him when he worked behind Leblanc’s counter, but his delicate touch was beyond anything Ren could have fantasized about. When Ren gave Goro a warm smile in gratitude, the detective turned his head away, sheepish. Watching Goro act so uncharacteristically timid around him was making Ren’s heart soar. He could hardly deny the other’s effect on him anymore. Just being with Goro like this felt  _ good _ , and it almost made him forget what brought them both to the situation they were in.

“Oh my God. Are you guys holding hands!?”   
  


Despite ruining the moment, Ren and Goro were compelled to explain to Ann what they made Sojiro think out of convenience—or out of a need to cover their asses, more like. Ann nodded along the sway of the train’s regular shaking. The wagon was packed, so they needed to huddle close together to avoid being crushed. “So you guys are just pretending to date! I actually got worried for a sec there.”

Goro laughed. “Sorry, Takamaki-san. We thought we’d better get used to… public displays of affection, as it were. It’s still kind of foreign to me.”

“Haha, yeah,” Ren swallowed. His hand hadn’t parted from Goro’s since they boarded the train, regardless. “Please don’t tell the others just yet, though. If Ryuji finds out without  _ context _ , he won’t let me live it down.” In fact, pretending or not, Ren was certain Ryuji would get mad at him for even entertaining the thought of dating the detective in the first place.

“Huh? Okay. That’s kind of weird, but okay!” Ann clapped and let out a nervous laugh. That’s the Ann Ren was more familiar with: honest to a fault and completely  _ unsubtle _ . 

Ren was surprised to find how quick she recovered, though. Without any regard for his personal space, Ann grabbed Goro by the arm, and huddled closer to him. “Who could ever be mad at getting such a cute girlfriend!? You shouldn’t mind his jealousy, Ren~!”

“T-Takamaki-san…” Goro showed his discomfort better than Ren could ever express it. Unfortunately for him, being trapped against the car’s wall gave him little chance of evasion.   
  


The trip to Shibuya 109 went swimmingly. As swimmingly as a trip like that could treat a teenage boy dragged along two highschool girls, anyway. Ren tried so  _ hard _ to keep up with Ann’s pace, but by the second hour he had already given up and collapsed on one of the benches outside the shops, utterly defeated. He had closed his eyes for just a second and already lost track of Goro and Ann. Occasionally, one of them would exit out of one of the shops and give him one more plastic bag to hold onto.  He had accepted his role as the bag guardian with dignity at first, but now, with tens of bags piling around him with no sign of ever decreasing in number, Ren’s resolve wavered.

He wished he brought his phone with him to at least pass the time. The little charging time it got in the morning was not enough for their trip to Shibuya, so he settled for leaving it back home. An amateur’s mistake, it seemed. 

He wondered how Morgana was doing after last night. In his horny stupor, Ren had been pretty rude to his friend, and he hadn’t got the chance to apologize for it yet. The weight on his back was definitely not missed that day, not with all the loads he had to burden on his trip, but he still idly wondered what he was up to with Futaba.

Who, weirdly enough, hadn’t messaged him that morning for his daily dose of “roasting”.

Before Ren could think harder about it, Ann and Goro came out of their last shop. They were carrying their own set of bags and, strangely enough, seemed to be chatting about some trivial topic until they approached him.

“Sorry about that!” Ann exclaimed and dropped her bags near the bench. She raised and stretched her arms over her head. “Phew! That was the last place I wanted to visit. Can’t believe we’re done!”

“Yes,” Goro sighed, as he dropped down to sit next to Ren. “I hate to admit it, but I’m truly exhausted. You’ve beaten me in endurance, Ann-chan.”

Ann giggled and winked at him in response. “Of course!”

Ren blinked in silence, dumbfounded. “Wait a second. When did that happen?”

“When did what happen?”

The two of them were staring at Ren like he had just asked something dumb, which he was certain he hadn’t. “You called her “Ann-chan”,” Ren explained. “Since when do you two get along so well?”

“Oh! Well…” Ann put a finger to her lips and tilted her head. “I guess since we got here?” When she realized that answer hadn’t satisfied Ren in the least, she continued. “It just seems kinda weird to go by our surnames when we’re already going shopping together, y’know?”

“Indeed,” Goro nodded, and looked at Ann like she had no idea what she was talking about. “Although… I suppose I’m not really used to my new… name just yet.”

“It’s only a matter of time, Kokoro-chan! Come on, let’s check out that cafe upstairs.”

With just a meek protest, Ren was dragged along to the seventh floor. The three of them managed to find a seat, and they chatted until their orders arrived. While Ann and Goro photographed their food while chatting, Ren took a sip of the coffee he ordered. Blegh. He had never realized how bad most served coffee tasted until he started working at Leblanc. 

Ren glanced at Goro to confirm whether the detective shared that sentiment with him. The other boy hadn’t even touched his drink yet, still busy applying filters and stickers to the picture he’d just taken. The light laugh he let out to Ann’s comment stopped Ren from speaking up. It was sad, really. Last time he ever felt like such a blatant third wheel was on the school rooftop, and Ann was coincidentally there as well. But when he saw the two of them enjoying themselves so much, it was hard to ruin the moment.

Goro looked so cute that day. It was impossible to deny that: Ren had seen plenty of men turn around to stare at him as they walked around throughout the day. His boyish charm had somehow translated perfectly into an irresistible and genuine ladylike appeal. How did he manage that? Ren took another sip of his coffee. He supposed Goro was a special case —he had never been the super manly type, after all. But did that really warrant such a smooth transformation? The detective didn’t even seem bothered by his predicament.

Goro glanced away from his plate for a moment and caught Ren staring. Instead of looking away, he threw him one of his sweet smiles that made Ren question everything: Goro’s motives, Goro’s feelings,  _ his own _ motives, his own feelings. Its radiance makes Ren look down into his cup, an annoying blush spreading over his cheeks.    
  


Eventually the three of them paid for their meal and left Shibuya 109. The ride back home was more peaceful than the previous one. The car was empty enough to find two seats next to each other. Ren offered Ann and Goro to sit, but Ann, with a puzzling smirk, insisted he take it. But before he could guess why Ann would deny herself of a free seat after such an exhausting morning on his own, Goro’s nodding off answered for him. His eyes fluttered closed, and his efforts to stay awake seemed to be bearing no fruit. Soon enough, his body got close to Ren’s, and his head leaned on his shoulder.

Ren straightened his back and swallowed. When he looked at Ann in an accusing manner, she gave him a thumbs up in response. 

“Ann…”

Ann pressed her index finger against her lips, silently commanding him to quiet down. “Did he not sleep last night?” She whispered.

For a brief moment, Ren legitimately thought Ann knew about their sins. He spluttered, ears burning up. “U-Uh...”

Ann tilted her head in confusion.

“I-I wouldn’t know,” Ren coughed. “I slept like a log last night. But maybe…”

Ren wasn’t sure if the sex was the culprit behind Goro’s exhaustion. He could hardly remember a night he got better sleep than last one, staying up late be damned. But had Goro been as lucky as him? Ren fell unconscious as soon as he hit the mattress, and Morgana —fortunately— hadn’t been there to check if the detective did the same. Could Goro have used that occasion to make a move? Perhaps…

Goro stirred slightly against his shoulder, an inaudible murmur escaping his lips. His peaceful expression and the warmth of his body against Ren’s was making him forget all about that train of thought. Perhaps when they got to Leblanc he’d ask Goro why he was so tired.

The other boy continued to snore quietly. The train shook, and he huddled closer against Ren in his sleep.

… Perhaps another day.

**Author's Note:**

> I plan on writing a few more chapters depicting more tame, cutesy stuff. If you're here for the porn, please hang in there. Your time will come again.


End file.
